9 strange rocks found on Mars that reveal the planet's history

Mars, often referred to as the Red Planet, has become the current obsession for scientists all around the world, with everyone trying to unlock the secrets of the mysterious planet. The planet has a striking red hue which is because of the iron oxide on its surface, Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second smallest in our solar system. Despite the planet’s intense look, it shares many features with Earth, such as polar ice caps, seasonal changes, and evidence of ancient water flow. This makes Mars a suitable planet to search for potential signs of life. Composed mostly of carbon dioxide, Mars’ thin atmosphere gives little to no protection against the solar radiation. For years now, various missions, including NASA’s rovers, have uncovered many unique and puzzling geological formations. Amongst them are some strange rocks that have puzzled the scientists. Let's look at some of them

In 2021, NASA's Curiosity rover found bright yellow sulfur crystals in a field of stones in the Gediz Vallis channel on Mars. It was a surprising and unexpected find because sulfur usually exists as a compound with hydrogen and oxygen. The discovery has raised questions if Mars’ had experienced hydrothermal activities.

NASA's MRO took an image of complex, layered sedimentary rocks on the floor of an impact crater north of Eberswalde Crater. There is a possibility that These rocks may have been laid down by standing water.

Onboard the Mars Odyssey spacecraft, Multi-spectral infrared images by the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) captured the distribution of olivine-rich materials on Mars. Olivine decomposes quickly when it is wet, which implies that Mars has been cold and dry for much of its history.

In 2013, NASA's Opportunity rover discovered a clay-rich rock on Mars called Esperance. The forearm-sized rock contained clay minerals that formed in neutral waters, this is favorable for the existence of prebiotic chemistry.

Found in the Jezero crater, Breccia is a rock composed of large angular broken fragments of minerals or rocks cemented together by a fine-grained matrix.

In 2018, NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter found garnet-rich rocks in Mars' crustal rocks, which may indicate high-pressure processes. They are located in Mars’ crustal rocks.

In the delta region of Jezero Crater in 2021, The Perseverance rover discovered serpentinite rocks. They are made up of one or more serpentine group minerals. The discovery suggests that water-rock interactions occurred in the past.

NASA's Curiosity Rover found jarosite-rich rocks in the sedimentary layers of Gale Crater in 2015. Their presence on the martian surface indicates that acidic fluids were once present in the area. This can be due to more oxygen in the atmosphere. Jarosite is also found on Earth, for example in the Smoking Hills of Arctic Canada.

NASA's Perseverance rover discovered a strange rock on Mars called "Freya Castle", which is nothing like they have ever seen. The rock, which is only 7.9 inches (20 cm) across, is covered in black-and-white stripes, giving it a "zebra rock" appearance. Scientists believe the rock may have formed from volcanic or metamorphic processes, such as the melting, movement, and cooling of magma and lava.